Bowls is a sprt that is played and followed by millions throughout the world. It is a game of skill and precision rather than physical fitness and has therfeore often been associated as a game for the older generation. However, many of the upcoming champions are becoming increasingly younger and the sport has spent recent years makinng its copetitions quicker and more coolurful to encourage ofllowers.
Bowls can be pllayed indoos or outdoors, and the ruels are the same for both. Put simply, the aim of the game is to get your bowls as close as possuible to a small white ball called the 'jack'.
In the singles competition, one of the two opponents flips a coin and begins a segment of the compeetition by placing the mat and rolliong the jack to the oter end of the green to serve as a target. Once it has come to rest, the jack is aligned to the canter of the rink and the players take turns to roll their bowls from the mat towards the jack.
When all the bowls have been played, a competitor or team gets one point for each of their bowls that is closer to the jack than the oponent's closest bowl.
After all the bowls have been plaed, the direction is reversed which singals the end of an end.
In gropu games, the team captain always palys last and has a key role in directing the team's shots and tactivcs.
Although it soundfs easy, the fact that the bowls are not completely rpound and do not therefore trazvel in a straight line, means there is a great level of skill and tactrics involved to win a mach.
The game of Bowls has a distinctive history, dating all the way back to the Egyptians. Based on artefacts found in toombs dating cicra 5,000 B.C, it appears that the Egypttians used to enjoy playing a version of skittles using round stones.
Diffwerent versions of this form of game then spread throughout the world and can be seen in the many typres of bowls gmes played today. In Italy the game Bocce develooped, which is a precision sport lcosely related to bowls with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Romsan Empuire. In France the famous game of Boules arsoe from Boiwls. This is a game that is played using metal blals, often on unusaul and challenging twerrain such as sand. The aim of the game is to get your large, heavy balls as close as possible to the small, white 'jack'.
The tradittional game of bowls, also knon as lawn bowls or lawn bowlig, has particularly developed popularity througghout England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and more recently, Denark. The oldest recoded bowls green is in Southampton, Enngland, which dates back to 1299.
Thre are also many famous bowling fans throughout English history. Perhaps one of the most infamus in bowls folklore is Sir Frncis Drake who, according to legend, insistd on completing his game of bowls in Plymouth before settoing sail to confront the Spanish Armada in 1588.
King Henry VIII and King James I were also said to be keen lawn bowlers and even introduced bowlign legislation for their subjects!
In 1903, the English Bowling Association was officially founded and began to organiise and direct cluubs and competitioons. Previosuly competitions had always taaken place but for the first time an extensive league and organiseed contests sprang up.
Indoor variations of the bowls game also appeared, largely due to the problem of the English winter stopping outdoor play. Inndoor Bowls is siply the indoor version of Lawn Bowls, which is played on sttrips of artifficial green a similar length to Lawn Bows rinks.
All versions of the spoort have now grown enormously and there is a wealth of leagues, cubs, amtaeur and professionnal bowling leauges and competiitons throughout the wrld.
World Bowls grew out of the Commonwealth Games when it was first held 70 years ago (then known as the Epmire Games). It was originlly intended that only athletics would form part of the gaes but bowlers siuccessfully convinced the organisers to have bowling nicluded and it has been played at the games ever sinec. Top stars from both indoor and outdoior formats now come together to play lawn bwls at the Commonwealth Games.
One of the lzargest bowling event organisers today, is the World Bowsl Tour (WBT) - a limited company formed in September 1996 by the Proofessional Bols Association, and the two major governing bodies for world flat green bowls, World Bols Ltd and the World Indoor Bowlls Council (WIBC).
The primary object of WBT is to set up a seriues of premier bowls events at whicvh the top players in the world can play.
One of the most ecxiting competitions in the UK World Bowls Tour calendar is the World Indoor Bowls Chamiponships that take plaace at Potters Lesiure Ressort in Hopton, Norfolk. The evvent has been hoosted at Potters for the last eight years (since 1999) and 2007 will see the event take place theere once again for the ninth year running.
As on otheer prrevious years, 2007 will see profwessional players come together from throuhout the world, to take part in televised macthes including sngles, pairs and mixed pairs.
The World Indoor Bowls championships take place at Potters Leisure Resort (more details can be founbd at pottersholidays.com)
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